Lettering or hand-printing machine.



No. 679,556. Patented July 30, 190i. H. ELMBLAD.

. LETTERING OR HAND PRINTING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 1, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-$heet I.

1 16.1. I l C H. ELMBLAD.

LETTERING 0B HAND PRINTING MACHINE.

Patented July 30, l90l.

(Application flled June 1, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

a. ELMBLAD.

LETTERING 0B HAND PRINTING MACHINE.

Patented July 30, I90l.

(Application filed. 3mm 1, 1898.)

3 Shear-Shoat 3.

(No Model.)

w: "cams PETERs co. vmmxumon WASHINGTON. a. c.

NITFD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIJALMAR ELMBLAD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SURERUS AND GREENHILL, OF SAME PLACE.

LETTERING OR HAND-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFI'GATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,556, dated July 30, 1901 Application filed June 1, 1898. Serial No. 682,245. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HJALMAR ELMBLAD, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lettering or Hand-Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a machine operated by hand for neatly and expeditiously printing newspaper bulletins,windowsigns, business announcements, and lettering on paper in general. This device has more especially for its object the execution of large lettering, and among its principal features are a rotatable type-wheel, a movable paper holder or carriage, means for locking the typewheel in a set position, automatic variablespacing mechanism, and other novel features of construction which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will hereinafter be fully described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is the front elevation of a machine embodying features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of same with the type-wheel and its support shown in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. eisa detail side view, enlarged, of clutch mechanism for moving table or paper-carriage. Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the type-guard. Fig. 7 is a modification of the spacing-Wheel, shown in section. Fig. 8 isa sectional elevation showing a modification of the machine.

In the example of my invention as represented in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, A refers to a stand which has box-like sides a and a and a top portion a B is a bracket or frame, principally for supporting the type-wheel, and preferably cast of metal in one piece, having a standard or post I), with a base I), which is rigidly secured to a part of the stand A. Projecting from the post I) laterally over the stand is an arm 5 This arm has a bore D which forms a bearing for the shaft of the type-wheel.

O is a type device. It consists of a wheel 0, mounted on a shaft or axle D, journaled in bearing Z9 011 arm 6 The wheel 0 0ccupies a vertical plane, its axis being in a horizontal position and also transversely to the stand A and the paper-carriage. While this wheel may be made in any well-known manner, so as to be suitable for carrying type, the following is its preferred construction, which is especially adapted for type of a large size: 0 refers to a hub rigidly fixed on shaft D and provided with radial arms orspokes 0, having at their outer ends a flat ring 0 which is flanged or provided with a broad rim 0 On the face of this rim is attached type These may be of rubber or metal, but rubber is preferable for large sizes. In the example as shown in Fig. 1 a series of forty type are placed on the periphery of the type-wheel. These consist of an alphabet, figures, and several characters commonly employed in printing; but any number of type and variety of characters or signs may be placed on the wheel to suit the purpose of the user. On the rim 0 are marked or pasted characters 0 similar to those on the outer rim, thus indicating to an operator the position of the type.

E E are ink-rollers. There are two of these, one at each side of the type-wheel, and each ink-roller consists of a small wheel 6, faced or covered with felt e or any suitable material for holding ink,felt being generally used when theinkorcolorhaswater foramedium. Each roller E has a bearing on a spindle 6 secured to an arm 6 which is pivotally secured to pendant b from the arm or post of frame 19 The outer end of the arm 8 has a lug eflthrough which passes a rod 6 having an adjustingnut e. The other end of the rod is attached to the frame 19 By turning the nut c any desired contact may be obtained between the ink-roller and the type-wheel.

F is a lock or catch for securing the typewheel in a set position and is constructed, preferably, as follows: f is a bolt or rod suitably mounted in guides b and arranged to engage one of the indentations or notches c on the inner side of the rim 0 and coincident with the type on wheel. A cross-piece f connects the bolt f with a vertical rod f which rests on an arm 9 of a lever G, of which the pivotal portion g consists of a rod extending to the front of the machine, where a handle 9 is placed. By depressing this handle it raises the arm g and the rod 1 and also releases the bolt ffrom engagement with the notch 0 The wheel C may then be turned to any desired position, and by releasing the. handle 9 the rod fwill drop into a notch and secure the wheel again. The weight of the partsfif', and f are sufficient to normally keep the boltfin engagement with type-wheel and the outer part 9 in a raised position.

H is a movable holder or carriage for the paper and in detail is as follows: it isa table which slides on the top a of stand, suitable guides or Ways a and a being employed for keeping it in alinement. The stand A has an opening a in its top. The central portion of the table h is cut away or provided with a longitudinal sloth, which is somewhat wider than width of type-wheel face and directly under type-Wheel, The opening 71. is provided with a flexible covering, apron, or fixed tympan h which may be of cloth or rubber or any suitable fabric. This apron or tympan is attached to table h by means of cleats h Near the front of the carriage 1-1 are two rollers h and h for moving the paper transversely over the table. The paper is representcd by a dotted line y in Fig. 3. The upper roller h has rubber rolls h to afford frictional contact for moving the paper, and the shaft 71 of this roller is mounted on small brackets h on table. to shaft of roller h, so that an operator may turn same when desired. At the front of the carriage are arranged curved guides, fingers, or springs h attached to loose clasps or clips h on shaft h These springs are for holding a roll of paper in position before printin g, and at the back of the carriage-are placed guides or curved springs 71. for receiving the paper when printed and causing it to roll up loosely.

I is a movable platen located centrally beneath the type-wheel and below the flexible top of the carriage H. This platen consists of a fiat head i, which is slightly larger than one of the types. Below the platen is a stud or plunger 2', which moves in a guide-slot 2' located on the cross-piece i The platen is movable toward the type-wheel, but is normally sufficiently below the flexible top of carriage, so as to not interfere with the movement of carriage.

J is a lever for operating the platen. This lever consists of bar j, Weighted or enlarged at j and pivoted at J to a suitable support a An outer part 9' forms a handle, While the top of the bar at engages the plunger or stud 'II 'on the platen I. By pressing on the handle of the lever it will force the platen up and cause paper lying on the carriage to be pressed against one of the types and receive its impression.

K is a type-guard. This is for the purpose of preventing typ'eadjacent to one from which the impression is being taken of smudging or otherwise marking the paper. This typeguard consists of a U-like spring is, slightly turned up at its front at It, so as to not catch on the paper, and having rear prongs 71: at-

A knob k is attached tached adjustably to a block 1& by means of screws 10 The block k is attached to the lower end of the pendant b by a bolt b To move or feed the carriage I-I longitudinally, so as to carrythe paper along and space the letters and words, I have devised the following means: On the side of the carriage H is attached a metal strip or rail L, which projects slightly above and below the table at l and Z, so as to form a way and bearing for the sliding feed clutch or grip M. This clutch is capable of reciprocative movement, moving freely on the rail in one direction and gripping or catching the rail while going in the opposite direction, so as to pull the carriage forward. The clutch M consists of a block or slide M, having bearing-guides m which engage therail L, but allow the slide to move freely on rail. M is a dog or gripping-lever pivoted at m to a pendent part m of the slide M. The lever M is cut away or provided with an oblique point m at its upper end, which is kept in contact with the I rail L by means of a spring 1%", which presses against a projection or stud m on the lower end of the lever. Thus when the slide moves to the left the lever M has a positive engagement or gripping contact with the rail L, but in the opposite direction while touching it moves freely without gripping rail. When it is desired to throw the lever M out of operative contact with the rail and move the carriage quickly forward or back by hand to some particular position, it may be accomplished by turning the stud m so as to bring a cut-away or flat part m on same against the spring m and place it out of tension. A small spring m then pulls the lever away from the rail.

N is a rod connecting the slide M with a bent lever or bell-crank 0, attached pivotally to the side a of stand A at 0. P is a link or loop connected at 0 to bell-crank O. The outer part or handle of the lever J passes through an opening or slotp in link P.

The lever J, as previously mentioned, is for moving the platen I by pressing down on the part or handle j moved upward after an impression of one of the type has been made, it strikes the upper part of the slot p in link P, thus operating the bell-crank 0, moving the rod N and clutch M, so as to pull the carriage H forward into a new position for the next type-impression, and when lever J drops or is placed in its middle position a spring 0, attached at o to the bell-crank 0, moves same to its first position and places the clutch M back into a suitable position to pull the carriage forward again. As now described, the sliding clutch M would always move forward a comparatively even distance; but by limiting the upward movement of the lever J, so as to correspond in a measure and suit the difierent widths of the type, including a slight space after each one, it is readily to be seen that the clutchMwill have a corresponding move- When the handle is ment, and this will be variable, according to the widths of the letters. The following is the preferred construction of the means I employ for this purpose, referring to Figs. 1 to i: Q is a spacing device, which consists, preferably, of a small wheel q, having a hub q mounted on the rear end of the shaft D. The rim g of the spacing-wheel is provided with a series of projections or pins q arranged radially and correspondingly to the letters on the wheel 0'. R is a vertical rod having bearings r and resting on a lever S, pivoted at 8 below the top of stand A. The inner end of the lever S has a lip or point .9, which engages the under side of the lipj on the lever J. The top of the rod R is normally centrally below one of the pins on the spacing-wheel Q. In arranging or setting these pins the widest letter of the alphal)etfor instance, Wwill require the carriage to be moved the longest space and the letter I a very short space. Hence a short pin or none at all may be used for IN and a comparatively long one for I. Then the lever J is moved upward, so as to move the clutch M, the lipj presses on the end of the lever S and raises the rod R until it strikes one of the pins (1 thus limiting the movement of the lever J, so as to pull the clutch M a suitable distance or space, according to the letter printed. This includes also a slight space after each letter. N is a setscrew for adjusting spacing movement of the clutch M, so as to provide for the small space between letters.

In the printing-machine as shown in Fig. 1 forty type two and one-half inches long may be placed on a type-wheel having a diameter of about twenty inches, and a typewheel to carry about sixty characters from two and one-half to three inches long, so as to contain capitals and lower-case letters,would be about thirty inches in diameter. The carriage may be of any suitable length, and for the last size of wheel it may be long enough to hold paper forty-eight inches wide and be quickly and conveniently operated.

In printing a bulletin or other matter the machine as now described is operated as follows: Asheet of paper is rolled up rather compactly and placed in the holders or springs h One end of the paper is placed between the rollers 77; k and brought under the typewheel 0. The carriage H is then set at a suitable point to begin a line, the catch or bolt F is released, and the wheel 0 is rotated until the first letter desired is centrally just above the paper. The lock F is then allowed to hold the wheel and the lever J is pressed down, which throws the platen I up and causes the paper to receive an impression from the type. The lever J is then pulled up as far as it will go, and this operation causes the sliding clutch M to pull the carriage H forward into place for the next letter, and as the lever falls into its middle position the spring 0 brings the clutch M back into its rear position. Each succeeding letter is printed in a similar manner, and when a word is printed a space may be supplied after it by pulling the lever J up again, which operates the clutch M. When it is desired to print a new line, the paper is rolled forward by means of the knob h on the roller II, and the operation of printing is continued, as described, until the bulletin or lettering is completed.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown modifications of the printing-machine, of its parts, or their arrangement.

It is not absolutely essential that a catch for retaining the type-wheel in a fixed position should be released or set by hand, as shown in Fig. 2. Such means have some advantages when used with a large type-wheel; but for a small one, as shown in Fig. 8, a spring detent or catch F may be employed which operates against a disk f having notches f, the said disk being fixed on typewheel shaft and having its notches in regis' ter with type on wheel. The spring-catch F presses lightly against the disk and permits the type-wheel to be turned when desired, but will hold the wheel sufficiently at any point during operation of printing.

When a wheel carrying very small type is used or is provided with a font of type similar to type-writer letters, the means for producing a variable spacing movement of the carriage may be dispensed with, the sliding clutch M simply having connections for moving an equal space after each letter is printed,

' as shown in Fig. 8.

The means by which I accomplish a variable movement of the sliding clutch M may be modified without departing from essential features of the invention. In Fig. 7 I have shown a spacing-wheel provided with places of engagement or notches of various length instead of pins or studs.

What I claim is- 1. In a printing-machine, a type device, a carriage for paper, having a longitudinal opening and a flexible tympan over said opening, in combination with means for moving the carriage variably across the type device, and means for impressing the type as set forth.

2. In a printing-machine, a carriage provided at or near its front with curved fingers or guides for holding a roll of paper and having curved guides at the rear of carriage for receiving and rolling the paper after it is printed, as set forth.

3. A machine of class described, having a printing-wheel on a shaft supported by a standard havinga projecting arm with a journal for said shaft, the standard being attached to a stand provided with a longitudinal slot, a movable carriage above same provided with a flexible tympan, means for moving the carriage, a platen located beneath the carriage and type-wheel, the said platen being pro vided with means for striking the tympan against type-wheel, in combination with a clutch which holds the carriage in a fixed position while the tympan is being impressed against type-wheel, as set forth.

4. A machine of class described, having a type-wheel supported above a stand provided with a longitudinal slot, a movable carriage above same, the said carriage being provided with a flexible tympan and means for holding paper and feeding same across the carriage, a movable platen for pressing the tympan against the type-wheel and means for moving the carriage, as set forth.

5. A machine of class described, having a type-wheel supported above a stand provided with a longitudinal opening, a movable carriage above same, the said carriage being provided with a flexible tympan and feedrolls for holding a sheet of paper and moving same across the tympan, in combination with means for moving the carriage longitudinally and a platen for striking the t-ympan against the type-wheel, as set forth.

6. A machine of class described, having a type-wheel supported on a stand provided with a longitudinal opening, a movable'car riage above same, the said carriage being provided with a flexible tympan and a device for holding paper on the tympan and feeding the paper across same, in combination with a platen for striking the tympan against the type-wheel, means for lockin g the type-wheel during said operation, and means for moving the carriage, as set forth.

7. A machine of class described, having a type-wheel supported on a stand provided with a longitudinal opening, acarriage which moves along same, the said carriage being provided with a flexible tympan, means for holding paper on the carriage, aplaten which strikes the tympan against the type-wheel, in combination with means for moving the 40 carriage along stand, and means for holding the type-wheel in a fixed position during operation of printing, as set forth.

8. A machine of class described, having a type-wheel supported by a stand, the said wheel being provided with notches, and a catch which looks the wheel while an impression is being made, a sliding carriage provided with means for holding paper on same, a movable platen which strikes the paper against the type-wheel, the said carriage being provided with a rail, a clutch having a dog or catch which engages same so as-to move the carriage forward but moves freely in opposite direction, means for moving the clutch, and means for operating the platen, as set forth.

. 9. In a machine of class described, a typewheel supported by a projecting arm on a standard, the said arm having a frame extending toward sides of wheel and carrying inking-rollers, and also supporting U-shaped guard for preventing the paper from being smudged while same is being printed, as described and set forth.

I-IJALMAR ELMBLAD. In presence of J. B. HALPENNY, HENRY KAMP. 

